The Stranger
by Ca11umism
Summary: 'AU'...possible 'OOC'   A western about the frontier town of Konoha,The strange gunslinger who wanders into town one day, The working girl with dreams of being a medwife, And the deputy who falls in love with the mayor's adopted daughter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**_Ok, so thankyou for reading. I noticed there's not that many westerns on here so I thought I'd have a go at one. I'm also not big on the title, but it's the only one I could think of, so any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated. And, I'll update within three days of the last review, so, if you want more,_  
><em>GET REVIEWING.<em>  
><em>Thanks<em>

I don't own Naruto, nor do I claim any ownership to the characters featured in this story.

**CHAPTER 1:**

The day he entered town was the day things changed. The presence of someone new in town was always hot gossip between the locals, but that usually died down within a few hours. Not with him.

He rode in on a coal coloured horse, a silhouette against the endless plains beyond the town. His face was covered by an old stetson that had faded and flaked off in places thanks to the sun's unrelenting heat. He said no words as he reigned his horse off and dismounted outside the inn, which was called Ichiraku's, evident by a painted red sign above it's door, but a brief moment when his tattered poncho snagged on the saddle gave the locals something to talk about, as a silver Smith & Wesson revolver with a black pearl handle was revealed at his side for a brief second, before being covered again as he adjusted his clothing.

The stranger stroked his hand along the horse's grey mane, gaining an appreciative whinny from his steed, then cleared the single step up to the inn's front walk, not even giving a glance to the older townsfolk sitting on a carved bench beneath the building's front window, who watched the man with corn cob pipes dangling from their mouths and curious eyes, wafts of smoke clouding above them.

He pushed through the slatted wooden gate as he entered the inn, the hinges swinging the gate back and forth a few times before ending up in it's original position, and surveyed the interior for a moment, panning his hat covered face from the pianist in the far corner, whose hands glided jauntily over the ivory keys to form a cheery, upbeat tune in a vain attempt to impress the working girl that stood behind him with her arms drapped around his neck, then over the dozen or so circular tables where groups of high spirited men sat drinking whiskey and playing cards, playfully slapping the girls who accompanied them on the rear, then to the bar in the near corner, where he started off towards, navigating the maze of drunks with little to no hassle.

The barman-an older man in his forties, with a tuft of pale brown hair and a round face-looked up from the glass he'd been polishing to the stranger, who lay a handful of small golden coins on the bar's polished wooden top.

"I'd like a room." the stranger said, his voice low and serene.

The barman took the coins and, after flipping them in his hand, nodded. "Of course, name's Teuchi.." he smiled, reaching underneath the bar and producing a small iron key. "Anything else I can get you?..." the stranger nodded, taking the small key and grasping it gently in his hand.

"Some food, if it's not to much trouble, and my horse needs a feeding."

Teuchi smiled. "Of course, friend..I'll have someone bring it up to you, room four." The stranger tipped his faded hat and turned off towards the staircase, which sat next to the piano on the other side of the room.

He payed no attention to the groups of blackjack players that he passed on his way over to the stairs, but caught the attention of some as he stepped past their table. One-a bearded man with a weathered face and a thick scar on his fore head-who also seemed to be the leader, began calling out to the stranger.

"Hey..whatcha doin' in town boy?.." the stranger ignored him. "HUh?..." the stranger kept walking by, taking no notice of the man at all."Boy?...you one o' them retardeds?..."

The working girl who sat in the scarred man's lap-a pink haired girl with dark green eyes, who wore a tight fitting corset the colour of blood-slapped him playfully on the chest. "Don't bother with the new boy, Your attention should only be on me.." she giggled, flirting with the patron.

The bearded man turned his attention from the stranger to the girl. "Oh, you like'im?.." he shoved the pink haired working girl from his lap, who fell over and directly into the stranger's path.

The two collided, and the girl fell into the pianist, stopping the tune and sending the inn dead silent, apart from the scarred man of course, who laughed his head off. He was quite clearly drunk off his ass.

"Whatcha gonna do wit'im?..huh whore?..."he somehow got out through his maniacal chortling.

The girl, who was quite obviously embarrassed by the event, pulled herself to her feet and looked at the stranger, but his hat covered his eyes. "I'm sor.."

"Are you alright?..." he cut in. His voice showed very little care. She could tell he wasn't actually looking at her, his eyes were so far beneath his hat, she was surprised he could even walk straight.

"Yes..I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault these drunks have no respect." he walked past the girl and began heading up the stairs, the scarred man stopped laughing when he heard the stranger's words.

"HEY!..WHAT'D YOU JUST CALL ME?..." the scarred man pulled himself from his seat and leant on the table as the stranger climbed the staircase to the next landing.

"HEY?...I'M TALKING TO YOU!..." he pulled a rusted Colt from his belt, cocking it and aiming directly at the stranger's back, who stopped.

"ANSWER ME BOY!..." the stranger didn't turn.

"I called you a drunk with no respect..."

The scarred man's expression became a mixture of anger, disgust and embarrasment. "I should shoot you where you stand...no man has ever disrespected me like that and lived to tell the tale..."

The stranger still didn't turn. "I'd leave if I were you."

The scarred man fired a shot, which hit the step that the stranger stood on. He didn't seem to flinch though.  
>"I want you outside, right now." he cocked the revolver again, the stranger still didn't turn, but a thin smirk appeared from beneath the stetson's wide brim.<p>

"A duel?..." he said to himself, though loud enough for everyone to hear.

A shiver went down the pink haired girl's spine, she'd seen the scarred man duel a few times, and knew that there was no way the stranger could beat him.

"No, not now, how about you and I go outback and I give you something special, free of charge." she grabbed onto the scarred man's gun arm, hoping to tear his attention away from the stranger, but instead got the gun's chipped wooden handle to the face in reply.

"Get the fuck offa' me whore..."  
>She fell back onto another table, grasping her face, a few tears seeping from her pained green eyes.<p>

The scarred man turned to her, raising his gun and waving it inches from her face. "Don't you ever fuckin' touch me again, you worthless fuckin' whor..."

"Hey..." the stranger called, he'd now turned around, but only just so that he could look over his shoulder. "You'd be smart to take your gun from the girl's face, if you want to keep that hand."

The scarred man began grinding his teeth, his lips pursed like he was eating something sour. "You threatening me, boy?..." the man spat at the stranger's feet, though it didn't phase him. "You better have the balls to back up that big mouth'a yours..."

The stranger smirked again. "Outside.." he walked backwards down the half a dozen stairs and began heading towards the door, the scarred man following him with an ugly grin on his face.

Everyone in the bar followed them out of the inn and onto the dirt that formed the road through the center of town, where they were soon joined by most of the town's citizens, who must've heard the scarred man's intimidation shot and come out to see what the hassle was.

The pink haired girl forced herself to the front of the group on the inn's porch. She didn't want an innocent man to die because she spoke out of place. She began looking up and down the road, her eyes resting on the sheriff's office, who she realized could stop the coming slaughter, and began sprinting along the dirt, finding resistance in the wall of citizens that had come to see the show, the need to constantly push and dodge the thick mass of people that had already gathered slowing her down.

When she made it through, she began screaming at the top of her lungs for the sheriff, praying that he would hear her and that he'd help the stranger.

"SHERIFF...SHERIFF KAKASHI?..." she reached the office just as a young blonde boy with sky blue eyes and dressed in a less than expensive pair of dark pants with matching vest came out, causing her to crash into his arms. "Naruto, thank god, I need the Sheriff!, where is he?..."

The blonde boy watched her as she hopped onto her toes, trying to look over his much higher shoulders. "Sakura..Kakashi's not here, he's up at the mayor's, what happened to your eye?.." he questioned with a puzzled look on his face.

Sakura took what she could get. "No time..come on" she took his arm, and began pulling down the street to where the group of onlookers stood, surrounding the stranger and the drunk patron.

Just as they reached the back of the group, a shot rung out, which stopped Sakura in her tracks, then an ear shattering scream burst out. Naruto pulled his revolver from the holster at his side and pushed in front of Sakura. "Move, sheriff's office, out of the way..." he said loudly, pushing himself through the small gaps that separated the people, Sakura sticking close behind.

Naruto aimed his gun as the two got to the front of the pack. Sakura feared the worst for the stranger, but, when they enterered the open area, she found the drunk on his knees, squealing in torment as spurt after spurt of scarlett blood erupted from his gun hand. The gun itself lay on the ground, surrounded by a small pool of blood and the drunk's mutilated thumb and index finger.

Sakura looked up to where the stranger was, as he slid a black handled revolver into his holster, before turning on his heels and heading through the crowd and into the inn, tipping his hat and apologising to Teuchi, before disappearing from sight, up to his room where he wasn't seen again for the rest of the night.

**0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

The next day, the events of the previous evening were still fresh on the tongues of Konoha's citizens,even more so in Sakura's mind as she came up the step and entered the inn. It was mid afternoon, so she wasn't at all surprised to find the saloon completely empty, apart from Teuchi of course, who smiled to the pink haired girl as he wiped down the bar top.

"Good day ms. Sakura.." he said as she approached him, leaning under the the counter and pulling out a shot glass for her. She always got free drinks at Ichiraku's, ever since she'd begun working nights in the inn. She smiled graciously as Teuchi poured a small amount of milk into the glass for her. She'd always hated alcohol, it turned even the noblest of men into pigs.

"How are you mr Teuchi." she took the glass and raised it to her lips, swallowing the milk in one shot. "How's your guest?..." Teuchi nodded in the direction of the door, where Sakura turned to see the back of the stranger, his hat over his eyes and facing the window that looked out over the entrance to town. She must have walked straight past him when she'd entered.

"Came down around mid-morning, ordered some food, hasn't moved from that spot yet." Teuchi said, not taking his eyes off the counter he'd gone back to cleaning. "Seems like a polite enough fellow, he apologised for the hassle last night, even though it wasn't his fault..."

Teuchi watched as the young girl stared at the stranger. He could tell that she was intrigued by the man, and he also knew that the girl was still rather naive for her age, having lived her entire life in the middle of nowhere. "I'd be careful around him, Sakura, I don't want you getting into any trouble."

Sakura looked back to Teuchi and smirked. "What makes you think he's trouble?..." she raised her eyebrow.

"Men like this one, who travel alone and keep to themselves?...they always have something to hide from the world..." Teuchi replied, hoping the girl would listen to his words.

"I'll watch myself..." the girl replied, leaning over the counter to peck Teuchi on the cheek before walking over to where the stranger sat, his figure surrounded by a golden hue from the sun, which hung right in front of the window.

"Excuse me?..." she said as she reached the man's side. She looked over to Teuchi, who kept his eyes on the counter even though she knew his attention was on them.

"Yes?.." he didn't move.

"Umm, I wanted to thank you..for last night...for not getting ang..."

"How's your eye?..." he cut in, his voice showed absolutely no signs of care, but that didn't hinder Sakura, who smiled.

"It's a little sore, thank you for asking..." she pulled out a chair opposite him, blocking his 'view' of the window. "My name's Sakura...May I" she gestured to the chair, even though he couldn't see her.

"Be my guest.."

She watched him as she sat. He wasn't wearing the poncho he had been the night before, instead, he was clad in a long sleeved dress shirt, that was covered in small dirt stains. "Uh, what brings you to town?.." she asked.

The stranger crossed his arms over his body. "I'm waiting for someone..." Sakura smiled, looking at the brim of his hat, where she assumed his eyes would be if he weren't wearing it.

"Who?..a friend?" she asked, trying to get a decent conversation out of the man.

"No."

Sakura smiled awkwardly. "I see...How long are you staying in town?..."

"As long as it takes."

Sakura looked over the stranger's shoulder to Teuchi, who approached them with a bottle of expensive whiskey and a clean shot glass.

"Here, this is on the house, as a thank you for looking out for Sakura last night." he placed the glass on the table and began opening the bottle's cap.

"I don't drink.." the stranger replied quietly. "Thank you though..." Teuchi nodded. He'd never had anyone turn down a free drink before. He turned to Sakura, who shrugged, before he smiled, taking the glass from in front of the stranger and heading back to the bar.

"Mr Teuchi?..."

"Yes?..." Teuchi turned and looked back to the stranger.

"If it's not to much trouble, I'd enjoy a pot of tea.."

Teuchi smiled. "Of course, it'll just be a few minutes.."Teuchi disappeared into the kitchen behind the bar, leaving Sakura and the stranger alone in the empty bar.

The two sat in an awkward silence for a moment,Sakura thinking of something to say and the stranger not really thinking of anything, when the sound of boots on the saloon's wooden floor made Sakura look up to see Naruto, who was dressed in the same pants and vest he had been the night before, walk in with a man dressed very sharply in a dark three piece suit with matching hat, that he took off as he entered, revealing a head of bone white hair that had been ruffled up due to hat hair.

His face was thin, and was covered by a bandana that Sakura had heard from the locals covered an embarassing scar, and an eyepatch covered his left eye. The eye that was visible was very weary, yet seemed to watch everything around him carefully.

The two turned to Sakura and the stranger and nodded, getting a smile in return from Sakura.

"Good afternoon Sakura." the man said in a calm voice, as he approached their table.

"Sheriff, how are you." She replied, standing up and offering her hand, which he took and planted a small kiss on. Well, a kiss through his bandana at least.

"As best as I can feel in this heat." he joked. Sakura smiled. The sheriff turned to look at the stranger, who had payed no attention to his entrance. "Hello there stranger." he said, holding Sakura's seat for her as she sat back down, before taking a third seat between the two. Naruto, on the other hand, went to the bar and helped himself to a glass of whiskey.

"Sheriff." the stranger replied simply, tipping his hat before crossing his arms again. "To what do I owe the pleasure?..."

The sheriff lay his hat down on the table. Sakura could tell by looking at the man that he was a little annoyed by the stranger's arrogance, but not enough so that he'd act on it.

"I came to talk about you, if your not too busy, and, by the looks of it, you aren't."

Teuchi came back from the kitchen with a platter which held a large metal kettle and four cups. He must have heard the sheriff come in. "Tea's ready.." he said, laying the platter down and handing out the cups. "Here we go.." he poured a generous amount into each cup, then left the kettle and took the platter. "Anything else?.."

The sheriff went to answer, but the stranger spoke first."No, thank you mr Teuchi." Teuchi smiled, then headed back to the bar, where he started to bicker with Naruto over his drinking.

"Now.." the sheriff said, sipping his tea and leaning back in his chair. "Would you mind taking your hat off?...I find it a bit rude when I speak to someone and I can't see their face, it makes me uneasy."

"With all due respect, sheriff...It would be a much prettier sight if I kept my hat on."

The sheriff placed his cup on the table."Surely you have the manners to take your hat off in the presence of a lady?.." Sakura smiled sweetly. It meant alot to her when the sheriff called her a lady. Apart from Teuchi and Naruto, Kakashi was the only man in town who thought of her as more than a working girl.

"Fair enough, but remember, I warned you." he took off his hat, revealing a head of black hair that, due to his hat being on for so long, had caused it to resemble the backside of a chicken. His face was extremely pale, even with the endless sun that constantly hung above the town. He mustn't have been older than twenty-five. Sakura didn't understand why he hadn't taken his hat off before, she thought he was rather handsome, but then, he opened his eyes to reveal a pair of blood red irises that made Sakura jump in her seat.

"I see.." the sheriff said to himself. "Now, if you'd be so kind as to tell me why your in town?..."

"I'm waiting for someone..."

Kakashi nodded. "Who?..."

The stranger looked the sheriff directly in the eye. "The man who did this to me." Sakura watched as the two men looked at each other, an electricity between them that gave the girl an unhappy feeling in her stomach.

"The Sharingan..." Kakashi said, nodding. "I'm sorry you had to go through with it."

The stranger nodded back."You know of it?..."

Sheriff Kakashi chuckled, before pointing to his eye patch. "Your not the only one who's been through it." he finished his tea, then stood and took up his hat. "If you need anything..don't hesitate to call on me, my office is just up the road." the stranger nodded, then pulled his hat over his eyes again.

"Thank you sheriff, I just might do that..."

Kakashi nodded to Sakura, then headed out towards the door. "Teuchi..thanks for the tea...Naruto, come on, we have to report to the mayor."

The blonde nodded, smiling widely as he finished his fourth shot, then he smiled to Teuchi and followed the sheriff out, waving to Sakura as he did.

"if you'd excuse me..." The stranger stood and tipped his hat to Sakura, who was still a little shocked by the stranger's bleeding eyes, and went back up the stairs to his room, leaving the girl to finish her tea in silence as the first gamblers for the evening came in.

**0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0**


	3. Chapter 3

**READ THIS!**

_A/N: I'd like to say quickly, in this Danzou is the step father of Hinata and Neji, the reason for which will be revealed later on. Hanabi won't appear._  
><em>Thanks.<em>

**CHAPTER 3:**

Naruto followed the sheriff past the town blacksmith, who stood next to a large anvil out the front of his shop, working with a machine like repitition on a new iron horse shoe with a large hammer. "So what do you think of the stranger sheriff?..." he asked, scratching his belly as he walked.

The sheriff tipped his hat to an older woman as she walked past out of politeness. "I think he's a young man that's been hurt..simple as that."  
>He turned off past the chemist, heading up along the main street towards the mayor's property, which sat at the top of a small hill at the edge of town. Naruto was following closely behind.<p>

"You think he's a threat at all?..." he blonde wondered. Kakashi shook his head, checking the silver pocket watch he had produced from the pocket of his vest, tapping it gently to make sure that it was working correctly.

"No, but I don't think that he is just going to hang around and wait for someone to come to him." he slid the watch back into it's pocket and buttoned his jacket up. "After a while, when he realises that no one is coming through here, he'll most likely just get up and leave."

The two climbed the small hill at a decent pace, then went up the dozen or so wooden steps that had been hammered into the dirt to the mayor's house, where, just off to the side of the house, Naruto noticed a large umbrella covering a small table, which blocked the person sitting there from view."Who's that sherriff?..." he asked as they came up to the front door.

"That's miss Hinata Hyuga, she's only recently arrived in town the day before last, her arrival was the reason why I was here last night." Kakashi replied, rapping his knuckles on the door twice and taking his hat from his head.

After a moment,the door was opened by a young man with big eyes that greatly resembled pearls and dark brown hair that had been combed very neatly, which hung down his back. He was dressed very sharply, in an expensive pair of navy pinstripe pants with a matching vest, and a white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to the elbows. A gold chain hung from one of the vests buttons and went into his left pocket.

"Mr Hyuga, the mayor's been expecting us." Kakashi said politely to the young man, who nodded.

"Of course..." Hyuga held out his hand to shake Kakashi's, who took it, before moving back to let the two lawmen into the house."My father is out the back, he's been waiting for you.." The sheriff nodded, and Naruto stuck out his hand to shake Hyuga's.

"I'm Naruto, deputy of Konoha, how's it going?.." he said with a toothy grin on his face. Hyuga just looked at the boy, obviously shocked by the young man's informal introduction. Or it may have been his hygiene, which was less than the norm to what the Hyuga was used to.

"A pleasure.." Hyuga replied, a distinguishable sense of disgust in his voice that Naruto obviously didn't pick up on. "Excuse me if I don't shake hands, I've not been feeling my best and I wouldn't want you to catch anything."

Naruto nodded, taking off his hat.

"Please.." Hyuga said, beckoning them throught the house's wooden hall. "My father is out the back, it's just through here..." the sheriff and his deputy followed the young Hyuga through another door that took them out the back of the house, where a man in his late sixties or early seventies, with dark brown hair and an X scar over his chin sat a table on a small deck, drinking coffee and reading the local newspaper.

"Father?" Hyuga called from the door.

The man turned and nodded when he saw Kakashi. "Sheriff..welcome." he said, folding the paper and standing up. Kakashi and Naruto walked out and over to the deck, where the mayor offered Kakashi a seat.

"How are things in town, anything new to report?.." the mayor asked, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

Kakashi shook his head. "Apart from the little disturbance last night at the inn, nothing new in town."

The mayor nodded, starting to pour the sheriff his own cup of coffee."And what about this new fellow in town?..what's his name?"

Kakashi shook his head as he took his cup from the mayor. "I'm not sure, he didn't say, but I doubt he'll stay in town long..he doesn't seem the type."

The mayor nodded again."Fair enough, just as long as he's not here to cause trouble.." the sheriff nodded in agreement.

"F-father?..." the voice of a young woman caused the three men to look over to the house's back door, where a stunning gir,l no older than sixteen, stood in the doorway. Her eyes were the same as the Hyuga boy, and her hair a pure shade of dark blue, with strands that hung down, framing her delicate, pale face. She wore an expensive looking dress, that was covered in intricate designs and ruffles, and she carried a small umbrella with her to keep the sun from her face.

"Hinata my dear, please..come meet the sheriff." the mayor said. Hinata lifted the end of her dress a little so it wouldn't get caught in the dirt as she walked, and came over, offering her free hand to the sheriff, who kissed it politely, then to Naruto, whose blue eyes were wide, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

"A pl..pleasure.." Hinata greeted the two politely, her voice quiet and rather shaky. "Father, I was wo..wondering when you were going into town."

The mayor stood up and gave his seat to Hinata. "I'm afraid I can't take you today, dear..but maybe the sheriff would be so kind as to show you around?.." the mayor looked over to the sheriff, who nodded.

"I'd be honoured to take you into town, but I'm afraid I have to much business..." The girl smiled sadly. "But I'm sure my deputy would consider it an honour to escort one as beautiful as yourself this evening..." Kakashi gestured for Naruto to come closer, but the mayor took his daughter's hand and held it in his own just a little too tight for the girl's comfort.

"I don't think it would be appropriate for my daughter to be escorted by the deputy.."he said, forcing a smile and looking at his daughter.

"I can assure you, Naruto is twice as capable of looking after your daughter as I. " Kakashi replied, his hands behind his back. He always stood up for Naruto, even if it was against the man who decided if he got to keep his job or not.

The mayor seemed as if he was about to fight back, but then he sighed when he realised that he had nothing to come back with."Fair enough..but get yourself cleaned up a bit."

Naruto nodded."Will do mr mayor..I'll get myself a new suit and everything.." he smiled to Hinata, who blushed a bright pink under the blue gaze of the deputy.

"See that you do.." the mayor replied through his teeth, a tone of disgust in his words."Well sheriff.." the anger in the mayor's voice was still present. He mustn't have liked that Kakashi stood up for his friend instead of being on his side."I suppose you have buisness, unless you have anything else to tell me?.."

The sheriff shook his head."No sir.." he drained the rest of his coffee."That's all I have for today." he tipped his hat to Hinata."Good day mr mayor.."

Then the sherriff, with his deputy following closely behind, walked off the deck and back through the house towards town, the sherriff smiling to himself as they did so.

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4:**

That evening, Naruto climbed the small hill towards the mayor's home, a grin on his face that went from ear to ear.

He'd spent the best part of the afternoon bathing extensively, using up an entire bar of the sandlewood soap that he had gotten special from the general store, and used a shaving mixture of Kakashi's that had kept his skin soft even after he used his somewhat rusted razor. The sheriff had also been kind enough to give him one of his older suits, a navy two piece with accentuating off-white pin stripes that fit rather snuggly around the deputy's shoulders. It wasn't worn out at all, the sheriff had just grown out of it, in fact, if it weren't for the fact Naruto knew it was the sheriff's old one, he could have sworn that it was new.

He had attached his silver deputy's badge to his left lapel, having to fumble with it a few times so that it was the right way up, before pulling a navy cravat around his neck, which the sheriff had tied up for him, complaining that he really should learn to do such things for himself, to which Naruto replied that before tonight he had never needed too. He also kept his revolver at his side, tied to his leg with one of the sheriff's spare holsters, which went with the suit quite well, being a black leather that seemed to fit perfectly with the colour scheme.

He reached the wooden door at the top of the hill, and took a breath,going over the dozens of things that Kakashi had told him he had to do when he was with Hinata._'Always be the gentleman...offer her your arm..pull out her chair...'_ He never thought escorting someone would be so much dang work.

He took off his hat and knocked twice on the door, pushing himself up onto the balls of his feet-a habit he had when he was nervous-and waited.

It took well over a minute for the young Hyuga boy to open the door. He looked Naruto up and down twice, obviously not happy with his father's decision, before beckoning the deputy inside without a single word.

The Hyuga lead Naruto off through a hall off to the left that he had past earlier that day when he'd come in with the sheriff, to a sitting room where the mayor sat in a chair by the front window, reading a book that Naruto noticed was by a guy called **'Proust'.** He'd never heard of him.

"Good evening mr mayor..." Naruto said, holding out his hand like the sheriff had told him. The mayor raised his eyebrow as he closed his book, giving Naruto the same look-over his son did, before taking the deputy's in his own, shaking it twice abruptly, seemingly happy with Naruto's scrub up.

"Hello deputy, you don't look half bad..." the mayor's voice wasn't filled with joy, but is wasn't filled annoyance either.

"Thanks..I told you I'd do it..." Naruto replied through a toothy grin.

The mayor stood up, a slightly bitter look on his face. "Yes..yes you did." he walked past Naruto and his son-who had crossed his arms and still hadn't taken his pearl eyes off of the deputy-out into the hall, and to the bottom of the wooden staircase. "_HINATA..."_ he called, his tone weirding Naruto out a little.

A few very soft footsteps were heard above Naruto's head and, after a moment, Hinata appeared at the top of the stairs, dressed in a tight fitting lavender dress with large ruffles at the bottom. She carried a matching umbrella, even though it was the evening, and wore a pair of long, elbow length gloves.

"Good eve..evening deputy.." she said as she descended the stairs, holding the hem of her dress with one hand and the banister with her other so she wouldn't trip. The mayor held out his hand for the girl as she reached the bottom, which she took, and he lead over to Naruto, who kept his shoulders back, trying his best to look like a gentleman.

"Good evening miss Hinata.." he said, taking the girls hand from the mayor and kissing it like Kakashi had told him. "How are you?..." he added the last part abruptly. She smiled sweetly.

"Well, th-thank you." she replied, a faint tint of pink evident in her cheeks.

The mayor walked over to the front door and pulled it open. "Now deputy..I expect my daughter to be home at exactly ten-thirty.." he looked Naruto directly in the eye as he emphasized his words. "You have a watch don't you?..." Naruto nodded, patting his right breast pocket. "Good...now I also expect you to be a gentleman the entire time, no funny buisness."

Naruto nodded again. "Yes sir."

The mayor nodded again, and Naruto offered Hinata his arm, which she took graciously, and the two exited the home, starting the short Journey down towards the town.

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0**

It was a slow night for Sakura.

There were still many men in the saloon, drinking heavily and playing cards, but not many wanted company. Hers or any of the other girl's for that matter.

She sat by the bar, occasionally chatting with Teuchi and some of the other girls when they weren't serving drinks or fooling around with the patrons, trying to hook one in. Teuchi would give her glasses of water or lemonade to pass the time, but all in all, it was very boring.

Her thoughts were still fixed on the strange man's eyes. She'd never seen anyone with blood red irises before, it was a bit shocking to be honest. So much so that the image had plastered itself in the girl's mind.

"Sak?.."

'How did his eyes end up like that?...' she thought to herself, tracing the rim of her cup with her index finger.

_"Sak?.."_

'What's the..._Shargingnan_ was it?..." Sakura lifted the cup to her lips and drained the contents.

_**"SAK!..."**_ the girl jumped a little, turning to see Teuchi standing right in front of her, behind the bar, looking at her with a plate of bacon, eggs and toast in his hand. "You busy?..." he asked sarcastically. The girl shook her head. "Can you take this up to room four?..." she nodded, sliding off her stool and taking the steel plate from the bartender.

Sakura navigated her way through the mess of card players and her 'co-workers' to the stairs, which she climbed up to the landing, before heading along to the fourth door up. She knocked twice but didn't get an answer. Maybe they were asleep?. She turned the handle and pushed open the wooden door.

She looked around when she came in, not wanting to disturb whoever was inside, before realising something. The stranger was Teuchi's only guest. This was his room.

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0**

Naruto took his hat off as he escorted Hinata through the gate. Ichiraku's was the only place in town he knew where he could get something to eat, but he wasn't sure if it was suitable enough for her.

He lead her to a table next to the bar, just out of the way of any of the card players, and pulled out her chair for her. Another one of Kakashi's rules. Hinata smiled to him as she sat, before looking around at her surroundings, nobody in the saloon had noticed the two enter.

Naruto made his way around to the end of the bar, to where Teuchi looked at him with wide eyes. "Since when do you own a suit?..." Teuchi laughed as Naruto came over to him, shifting his shoulders and smiling at the man.

"Sheriff gave it too me.." Naruto replied with his toothy grin on his face.

Teuchi nodded, looking over to Hinata, who smiled sweetly when she caught his gaze. "What the two of you been up to?" he asked as he began pouring a drink for one of the patrons.

"Just walking around. I showed her the church, the blacksmith's and the jail." Naruto counted the structure's off on his hands as he said them.

Teuchi chuckled. "Sounds like a riveting evening.." Naruto nodded. "You want food?.." Naruto nodded again. "Give me a few moments."  
>Naruto smiled once more, then went back to join Hinata at their table.<p>

**0oo0oo0oo0oo0**

"Hello?..." Sakura asked, a little fear in her voice that she had tried her hardest to hide,though to no avail. She looked over to the cot in the corner and was surprised to find that it hadn't been slept in. Had he not slept since he arrived?. She gathered her courage and procecded into the small room,which was composed of the cot, a window on the far side of the room that looked out over the town, and a large wardrobe on the opposite wall to the cot. It was then that Sakura saw a pair of legs coming out from behind the wardrobe.

The stranger was sitting in a chair and leaning against the side of the wardrobe, his legs resting up against the windowsill. Sakura could see that he had kept his hat on, which made her mouth damn. She wanted to see if she could get another look at his eyes.

"Hello?.." she said quietly, checking to see if the stranger was awake. No answer. She placed the food on his cot and bent over to look at the stranger, trying to see if he was moving. His upper stomach was moving up and down, indicating that he was infact breathing, but Sakura came to the conclusion he was asleep.

Taking a small breath, she began inching her way towards the sleeping man. She knew deep down that it was rude, to sneak up on a sleeping man to steal his hat, but she couldn't help herself. She had to get another look at the man's eyes.

Her hand outstretched, she put her thin fingertips on the hat's brim and began lifti...

"What are you doing?..." Sakura snatched her hand back, and raised both of her hands to her face in embarassment.

"Ohh god..I'm..I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I just..just." She began heading towards the door. She'd never been more embarassed in her life.

"Here..." the stranger said, stopping Sakura in her tracks. She turned to see the stranger stand up and remove his hat, throwing it on the bed next to his plate and looking at the girl, who found herself fixated on his eyes.

"This is what you wanted to see, isn't it?"

Sakura was speechless. She tried her hardest, but still couldn't look away from his eyes. They seemed to move. The black pupils swam around in their ruby pools like fish in a pond, entrancing the pink haired girl.

"Your wondering how this happened.." Sakura gulped, then nodded. The stranger sat back down on his chair and motioned for Sakura to sit on the cot.

"I was six..." he began,crossing his arms and leaning back against the wardrobe. "I lived with my family on a ranch out around..."

**BLAM..BLAM..BLAM...**

A series of gunshots made Sakura jump and the stranger stop talking. The girl stood up and walked to the window, looking out to see three horses enter town and begin riding in a circle out the front of the inn.

"Oh no.." Sakura gasped. She'd recognized the scarred man from the previous evening on one of the horses, his arm heavily bandaged. She watched as he and the other two of the men as they reigned their horses and dismounted, climbing up the step and heading into the inn, where another two shots rang out.

**BLAM...BLAM...**

Sakura headed for the door, not even thinking about what the stranger was doing, then sprinted along the landing and down the stairs to find the entire saloon dead silent, the scarred man holding his wounded arm and his accomplice pointing a revolver at Teuchi. The third man stood with his foot on Naruto's chest, who obviously had tried to pull his weapon but gotten a pistol butt to his face instead.

"Where the fuck is the bastard who did this to my brother?..." the man snapped at Teuchi. His hair was the same messy brown as the scarred man, but his face was shaven. Teuchi shook his head, hiding the identity of the stranger for reasons unknown to Sakura.

"Where is he you _sonofabitch_.." he cocked his revolver just as the scarred man turned to see Sakura on the stairs.

"HEY..THAT"S HER" he cried out, pointing with his good hand at the girl, who had just decided that it was a horrible decision to have come down. The scarred man's brother looked over at her, then back to Teuchi, then back to the girl before smiling. He stomped through the saloon, pushing two patrons out of his way, and raised his gun to the girl, who began retreating, but was caught by the wrist and pulled down, losing her balance and landing on the floor, with the gunman's iron grasp still on her wrist.

"Now.." he said, dragging the pink haired girl to her feet and over to the bar, where he raised his weapon to her temple. "Where the fuck is he?..." he cocked the gun just as Sakura began tearing up.

"I'm here."

Everyone in the saloon turned to see the stranger, his hat covering his eyes, standing at the small landing between the two parts of the stair case. He wasn't holding his weapon, which Sakura believed was a stupid move.

_"YOU.."_ the gunman growled, turning from Teuchi and aiming his revolver at the stranger. "You've got alotta nerve shooting my brother, I've come to get your apology."

The stranger, whose face wasn't visible, descended the stairs and stood directly opposite the gunman, with Sakura stuck between the two.

"Let the girl go." he said simply, his tone emotionless and his words blunt.

"Let the whore go?.." the gunman joked. "Okay sure, the moment you get on your knees and lick my fucking boot..." he began laughing, his wounded brother joining in. The third man started laughing as well, his laugh was more of a pig's oink.

"I have a better idea..." the stranger walked around so he stood next to the piano, all three of the men facing him and turning their backs to the rest of the saloon. "You give and the sheriff doesn't shoot you in the back.."

The three gunman turned to the entrance, where the sheriff stood holding a silver double-barrel shotgun. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket,  
>and he had rolled his white sleeves up to his elbows. He was aiming directly at the man who had Sakura by the neck, his gaze stern.<p>

The gunman with the pig laugh turned his gun from the wounded Naruto to the sheriff, who made no notice that he was even there.

The man with his arm around Sakura began laughing again. "So what?...one gun?..." he began turning back to look at the stranger, whose gun had suddenly appeared in his hand, as if it had just materialised there, less than two feet from the gunman's face.

"Let her go."

"Sheriff, my buisness is with the boy here, I'm giving you five seconds to walk out..that way, we don't have any problems."

"I don't like scum shooting up my town." the sheriff said from the entrance, not taking his weapon off the gunman.

The gunman ground his teeth. "You haven't realised that I've got a gun on you...my buddy over here won't hesitate to shoot you if I give him the order.."

"I can still blow your brains out through your eye sockets before he pulls the trigger." the sheriff replied, pulling one of the twin pins on the end of his gun back.

"You're willing to bet on that?..." the gunman said.

"Are _you_?" the stranger cocked his weapon and making the gunman scowl.

"Fair enough.." he nodded, letting go of Sakura, who fell to the saloon floor, and began backing up. "Come on brother, Bubba..." the scarred man and pig boy began backing out, allowing Naruto to pick up his weapon and join the sheriff and the stranger in a line, leading the men out into the street.

"You've made a mistake gentlemen.." the leader said, sliding his gun into his holster and backing over to his horse. "_This isn't over..."_  
>he pulled out his horse's reins and climbed up and onto it. "I'm coming back, and next time<em> all three of you are dead."<em>

"We'll be waiting.." the sheriff said sternly, Naruto at his left shoulder and the stranger at his right. The three men veared their horses towards the entrance to town and speed off into the distance.

"Naruto.." the sheriff said when the horses were far enough away for his comfort. "I think it's best you take Hinata home, I'll see to Sakura."

Naruto nodded, heading back into the saloon."Will do sheriff."

Kakashi turned to the stranger. "_You_..I don't want you getting into anymore trouble, the next time they come near you, you come for me immediately, understood?.."

The stranger tipped his hat. "Understood sheriff...only if you do the same for me." Kakashi thought for a moment, then nodded, telling himself that it would be better to have an extra pair of hands just in case. The stranger tipped his hand again, then headed back inside, passing Sakura, who sat on the floor with Teuchi's arms around her, without a glance, heading up to his room where he wasn't seen again for the rest of the evening.

**0ooo0ooo0ooo0ooo0**


End file.
